Water Softening

Definition

The removal of hardness ions such as calcium from boiler feedwater to prevent scale, performed by a softener.

The softener is the first link in the boiler circuit, removing hardness before water reaches the steam drum. By taking out calcium and magnesium it prevents scale on heat transfer surfaces inside the boiler. It exists to solve the scaling problem that raw makeup water would otherwise create. Its makeup chemistry feeds into the boiler mass balance.

Related concepts

Scale · Boiler Circuit · Deaerator

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🛠️ operations